Repository: Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University

Title: Snyder Ledger Collection, c. 1853-1865

Collection No.: SC # 5026

Creator: John Snyder

Extent: 1 flat box, 1.41 Linear feet

Language: English

Abstract:

The Snyder Ledger Collection consists of two ledgers that document the business transactions of John Snyder, a blacksmith living in the area of Augusta County c. 1853-1865.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk. (library-special@jmu.edu).

Both ledgers were purchased at the estate sale of Charles Weekly, from the auctioneer Charley Whetzel, along with the Snyder family photo album on 17 September 2011.

Bio/Historical Note:

The ledgers provide very little concrete information about John Snyder except his occupation as a blacksmith most likely living in the Augusta County area during the 1850s and 1860s. The 1860 census lists a J. Snyder living in Augusta County who is married to S. Snyder, with two children: W. H. and J. A. Snyder. The 1860 United States census, along with the 1899 Augusta County Business Directory, also lists J. Snyder as a blacksmith. Additionally, a genealogy site documenting the Sheets family of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Iowa references a John Snyder who was born in 1824 and died after 1900 in Augusta County. This John Snyder was married to his cousin, Sarah Sheetz, in March 1849, and together they had four children: William H. Snyder (b. 1849), Joseph A. Snyder (b. 1851), Martin Snyder (b. 1861), and Lewis J. Snyder (b. 1863). The genealogy site also mentions that John worked as a blacksmith as well as a farmer. All of this information is consistent with the business directory, census records, and dates of the ledgers.

Furthermore, the Snyder family photo album that was purchased with the ledgers included a sheet of paper that records the date of death of a John Snyder on February 7, 1901, a date that correlates with the information above. A few of the photographs inside of the album contain captions such as “Uncle John,” “Lewis Snyder,” and “Cousin Martin Snyder,” indicating that the album may have been owned by a sibling or cousin of John or Sarah Snyder.

Scope and Content:

The Snyder Ledger Collection consists of two ledgers, 1.41 Linear feet, that document the business transactions of John Snyder, a blacksmith living in the area of Augusta County, Virginia, in circa 1853-1865. (The ledger beginning in 1853 references transactions made prior to 1853 as well, especially in the back.) Both ledgers are 15.25” long, 6.25” wide, and .5” thick. Snyder seemed to serve the majority of his customers in Augusta County, but also a few in “Richmond, Sharlottsville, Jefferson City, and Maysville.” Additionally, there are a number of prominent local names recorded in his ledgers, such as Showalter, Moyer, and Huffman.

Arrangement

The ledgers are housed in a flat box, with the 1853 ledger in Folder 1 and the 1858 Ledger in Folder 2.

Related Material:

See also the Snyder Family Photo Album, collection # P0004.

Bibliography:

1860 United States Census, Augusta County, Virginia.

http://www.shambaugh.org/1860VA.htm (Accessed 14 Nov. 2011).

Directory of the Representative Business and Professional Men of Augusta County and Staunton.